A Compact Guide to the Whole Bible: Learning to Read Scripture's Story - Paperback

by Robert W. Wall (Editor), David R. Nienhuis (Editor)

This compact, one-semester introduction to the Bible prepares students to begin reading the biblical text as Christian Scripture, focusing on the meaning of Scripture for the church. The editors and contributors--experienced teachers with expertise in different parts of the Bible--orient students to the whole of Scripture so that they may read the biblical text for themselves. The book first explains what Christians believe about Scripture and gives a bird's-eye survey of the whole biblical story. Chapters then introduce the story, arrangement, style, and key ideas of each division of the Old and New Testament, helping readers see how the books of the Bible make a coherent whole.

Back Jacket

This compact guide is a true vade mecum 'Walk with me.' The authors cordially invite you to accompany them into the drama of faith through Christian Scripture. Especially if you are new to biblical study and desire to read the Bible seriously and faithfully, it's an invitation I encourage you to accept.
--C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary

"A Compact Guide to the Whole Bible is unique in its sweeping, fast-paced, accessible invitation to read the Bible--the whole Bible--in all of its wonderful, challenging presentation of the God who meets us in this ancient, tough, revealing, and relevant book. Perhaps the greatest gift of A Compact Guide is that it dares to present the Bible as Scripture. Generations of people have lived and died by this book, have met a living, revealing God through its stories and pronouncements, and have been taken places they could never have gone without Scripture taking them there."
--Will Willimon, Duke Divinity School; former bishop, the United Methodist Church

"It's easy to find introductory textbooks that overwhelm students with information and theories about the Bible--textbooks that complicate rather than open up the Bible to its readers. The promise of this slender volume is its commitment to genuinely invite students into the Bible by giving readers a keen sense of how each section of Scripture contributes to the whole and by identifying key landmarks for making sense of the biblical materials. This compact guide is the obvious choice for undergraduate courses concerned with the Bible as the church's book and for congregational use."
--Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Those of us who teach Scripture as part of a larger theological enterprise often long for a concise and accessible way to present the whole scope of Scripture to students. This book is an answer to those longings. It is clear, theologically acute, and written with beginning students in mind. These colleagues have brought their scholarly expertise and their commitment to reading theologically to bear on the whole Bible. The result is a collaborative work that is unified in its approach, uniformly accessible, and of immense value to the rest of us."
--Stephen Fowl, Loyola University Maryland

Author Biography

Robert W. Wall (ThD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. David R. Nienhuis (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament studies at Seattle Pacific University.